Two years ago when the original HTC DROID Incredible was released by Verizon, it was considered a high-end Android Smartphone, and was followed-up a year later by the HTC DROID Incredible 2. But since then, the Android landscape has changed, with consumers wanting more features and larger displays, which manifested in the form of the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX and the Samsung Galaxy S III. Now with the release of the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE, Verizon is hoping to capitalize on the two earlier model’s success and have customers upgrade to the newest version – which adds 4G LTE connectivity, a higher resolution display, and faster processor.

The overall design of the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE is reminiscent of the two previous models. The back of the device is a black soft-touch plastic with groves in the center, which allows for a nice firm grip. Since the size of the device is smaller than most other high-end Android smartphones, it fits well in the hand or in the pocket, without feeling too big.

The HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE fits well in the hand or in the pocket, without feeling too big

The main reason for its compact size is due it using a 4” display instead of a 4.3” or larger. While having a large display is nice, especially when viewing web pages or videos, some people don’t want the extra bulk that it can create, so the one on the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE is a nice compromise. Unlike last year’s model that was limited to a WVGA resolution display of 480x800 pixels, the display on the DROID Incredible 4G LTE is now qHD resolution with 540x960 pixels (275 ppi), and is also Super LCD. Simply put, the screen on the DROID Incredible 4G LTE looks quite good, with sharp text and nice saturated colors. Our only complaint about the screen is the poor viewing angles and that is it difficult to see in direct sunlight.

Android buttons

Front-facing camera

microUSB port (left)

3.5mm jack and power key (top)

Volume rocker (right)

The sides of the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE

Even though the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE is running Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, it still comes with three capacitive buttons under the screen for back, home, and recent apps. We believe this is a good idea, since the screen size is limited to only 4 inches. Up on top is a VGA (640x480) camera that can be used for self-portraits or video chat, while the main camera on the back comes in at 8MP. Located on the sides of the phone are the power/lock button, volume rocker, microUSB port, and 3.5mm headset jack. Removing the back cover will allow access to the 1700 mAh battery, 4G microSIM card slot, and the microSD memory card slot. Keep in mind that the phone does not come with a memory card, due to the 8GB of total internal memory, but we were able to use a 32GB microSDHC card without any problems.

Back

Rear camera

Battery compartment

HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE 360-degrees View:

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Rezound is ok...I wouldnt say better in almost every way tho. I think everybody is hung up on the size and/or screen res. IMHO...screen res plays a smaller part in the overall experience vs some other things. For me anyway.

One possible area is battery life. The newer hardware in the Inc 4G might do better in that area. It even comes with a lil bigger battery. It has newer LTE hardware and the way its put together might help battery life.

But...this might keep me away from it:

"Our only complaint about the screen is the poor viewing angles and that is it difficult to see in direct sunlight."

You would be surprised how much that takes away from the display after using an Amoled screen phone. Thats one major thing I dont like about the Rezound screen. That and the contrast, brightness seems to be cranked up too high.

And I disagree with the article about call quality and reception of the Rezound. In weaker areas....phone reception and call quality issues of any phone show up alot more. The Rezound didnt do too good in that dept. That and the volume going low on its own while on calls with headphones made for a poor phone experience IMO. 2 Rezounds, 2 sim cards before someone says bad phone. Bad phones? Possible....but there is one phone manufacture I never had to get replaced for phone related issues...might be bad luck who knows.

Hmm, Phonescoop says otherwise about the screen. They managed to get 30+ hours with the phone as well.

I never had those problems with the Rezound though. Even in areas with a marginal signal I still get calls that are loud and clear. I never bothered with the supplied iBeats. Those headphones are muddy sounding, even after burning them in.

According to Phonescoop the battery life of the Incredible is very good and I'm pretty sure it has to do with smaller screen combined with a more efficient processor and a somewhat larger battery. Also this phone was never meant to be flagship, just like the Incredible 2 before it.

I will be stopping in at Verizon tomorrow to get a look at this thing up close before making my decision.

Rezound has a bigger screen, but that doesn't make it better. Look at it like this, the Incredible 4g LTE is $200 on contract, the Rezound is still $300. Only real advantage is the Rezound comes with higher quality headphones. The LTE has a newer Sense version on it, the cpu should use less power, and has the beats integration as well.

This phone has a VERY specific market, one that most "power users" don't understand - screen size. I DON'T WANT a big screen.. I want small. I want a phone that fits in my pocket easily and feels like a phone when holding it, not a tablet. I don't watch movies and when I use it for web or pics I can easily zoom in to read what I want. I have other devices for doing that if I need to do it more often than in a pinch. There are more reasons, but the fact is, this is the best 4" phone on the market, period.

Yes, the processor is better than the rezound, and more importantly more efficient, meaning better battery life.

Bottom line: I don't compare a compact car to an SUV or 4 door luxury, so why do you compare a compact smartphone to a near-tablet sized phone? You don't compare 17 inch laptops to ultraportables either. Sure, if you are a gamer, that 10 pound 17 inch laptop is FAR better than a 13" 3.2 pound laptop with less processor, but if you travel and weight is more important than performance or size, then there is a clear choice. It is no different with phones.

If you care most about processor speed and pixels of resolution, get the galaxy. If what matters to you is screen size, then the Inc 4g is the best option out there. I have been waiting for a good replacement for the Inc1 for over a year, and this is it. It is too bad that every phone is thrown in one big review and judged on an equal level.

Personally the only use I see for 4.7 inch screens on phones is when you have a woman carrying a purse who doesn't have to worry about the size of the phone..

i understand the fanboy comment lol i know where it's coming from but i'm in the same boat. i have small hands and am a relatively small person. my first smartphone was the HTC Eris with the 3.2" screen, and i upgraded from that straight to the incredible 2. i've found that 4" is my sweet spot. :) i love it! But for some reason i can't emotionally push myself to a screen bigger than 4".. and i've tried to go for the rezound, but i just can't get behind even 4.3"... which i'm sure is a personal problem haha

thankfully i upgraded my device and still got to keep my unlimited data plan. luckily when the upgrade happended, the employee who did it didn't put me under a contract at all. phone for $100 + no contract = blessed.

Im pretty sure im am going to leave phonearena. There reviews are far to harsh and exagerated. They are a little more in depth that phonedog/phonescoop, but at least they sell it for what it is, and honeslty, im due to upgrade this week and this is more than likely what im getting. the rezound is too expensive, and i would never use the beats. This phone has exceptional battery, a pretty bitchin screen, fast, and a decent camera. All of that screams my phone to me, yet i look at this review and i have doubts due to either exageration or them overreviewing things and areas i dont care about. Honeslty phonearena, stop being so picky about things. This is a pretty good damn phone compared to whats out there. Oh, and i looked at the droid 4, which phonearena said had a terrible screen. they were right about that "ghosting" effect thing, but colors really pop and it is quite detailed, so i have no clue what they were talkinb about.

I have had my phone for a few days now and am very happy with it. The size is perfect, it is barely larger than the DInc1, the screen is perfectly good for me, the performance is great, the battery life so far is twice that of the DInc1 even with heavier use, and I think it is made from the perfect materials.

There are a few minor things about sense 4 I am not happy about, but they are incredibly minor things, like texting not showing the date change so I have to look harder at texts to see if they were from today or yesterday, or the font on the clock can't be adjusted.. little things.

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